Error Number: 505

14 - i love it here

Eden's POV:

New York is way colder than Arizona.

I step into my dorm room and see a girl with golden brown skin and dark brown curly hair. Her eyes are green and they're piercing into my soul.

"You must be Eden! My roommate! I'm Imani! Do you do hugs?" I nod. She hugs me, and I close the door.

"Where are you from?"

"Arizona," I say. "You?"

"Illinois. I'm totally missing Jingle Ball for this but it's whatever. Are you gay, Eden?" I nod once.

"Yes... how did you know that?" I ask. She looks me up and down.

"Cargo jeans and the neighbuorhood hoodie. Converse. Gold rings. Eden, you're very gay. But it's okay! I'm bisexual myself! Oh my god, does that mean we can make out?" I laugh.

"No," I say, starting to make my bed.

"I have a girl back home. And I feel... pretty damn guilty for leaving her." She plops down on her bed and sighs.

"What's her name."

"Ellie," I say. I put my comforter and pillows on. And my emotional support stuffed animal, Lucky. He's a duck.

"Are you dating? No. Definitely not."

"It's... kind of- not really. I don't think she's really ready but I'm not either. I mean- I am but- I don't know. I don't... know why I'm telling you all of this..." I start to hang my clothes up and put the others in the drawers under my bed.

There are two loft beds in the room. My bed is on the right and there's a desk adjacent to the footboard. Same with Imani's. There's a window between our beds where you can see the campus. It's beautiful.

Red brick with paths leading to a circle center. Benches are on the sides, and then there are just a bunch of trees and grass where you can sit.

This is my home until December.

"Because I'm super comforting and you already know we're going to get along?"

"I don't know if that's it." She laughs.

"Oh, wow! So, I think we treat this like college, even though we're not in college and leave our door open. Make friends!"

"Sure. Yeah. Um... don't we have like an orientation or something?"

"No. We only had the one yesterday." I nod.

Right. Yesterday when I said goodbye to Ellie in a hotel room while she held onto me and cried.

"Right," I whisper, tucking my hair behind my ears. I blow out a shaky breath.

"Oh- hey. It's okay. I know you miss her. I know." She hugs me. I start to cry.

"I understand. I mean, in my 18 years of life I've never had a girlfriend or boyfriend and I'm hoping to have my book moment here but it's not looking too good!"

"I'll help you. I'm very bold. I can go up to them for you and say my friend wants to get your number." She laughs.

"Would you?! Really?!"

"Absolutely. Yes," I say. I pull away and wipe my tears.

"Okay, take a deep breath with me?" We take one.

"Good job. Okay. Let's go check out the dining hall!"

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We sit with two girls in the dining hall. One girl's name is Grace. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and she's definitely a flirt to Imani, who blushes and hits my thigh just like a best friend would.